Bad Teachers, Bad System......and Bad Parenting

[Klukie]

Hearing a lot about the first two in regards to our nations declining education. Who is speaking for the last of these? What about accountability for ALL!!!

[BanzaiBonnie]

1. It starts with parents

[Klukie]

2. And yet the root cause is ignored!!!

Guess we won't be fixing this problem.

[Telly Savalas]

24. What sort of legislation do you propose we enact to fix parenting?

[sufrommich]

3. How exactly do we legislate accountability in parents?

The difference is one can't hire or fire a parent based on education outcome.

Honestly, if our education system can't overcome a students home environment, then what is the point of educating students with less than rosy lifestyles?That line of reasoning seems to miss the whole point of equal education for all.

[Klukie]

4. We may not be able to legislate it....

But we sure as shit could have a National Discussion on it!!! It is a huge part of the "Problem", yet we are so willing to not address it because we think we can't change it....so sad!!! You know certain legislation definitely would help to support parents to in their attempt to foster an environment that would be conducive to betterment!! A nice increase in minimum wage to start with...a realistic increase that would allow families to be families again!!!!

[Klukie]

5. Oh...and our education system shouldn't have to overcome a students home envirnment....

our nation should!!!!!

[LWolf]

12. That question ignores everything we know about learning.

The home environment is a bigger influence on educational outcomes than anything a school will ever do. That doesn't lead, logically, to only educating those who come from a good environment. It DOES mean that students from poor environments are much less likely to thrive at school, and much more likely to experience less success than their more fortunate peers. It doesn't mean they don't learn anything, or achieve ANY progress. Just less.

Knowing that turns the current blame and punish model on its head, exposing the hypocrisy of a "reform" model that sets the entire system up to fail. If our government wanted to see achievement levels in schools rise, they'd pour all those resources sucked up by the MIC into social networks designed to get rid of poverty.

You don't expect to see that happening any time soon, do you? The logical conclusion, then, has to be that the demonizing of education, and the blindness to the growing grand-canyon economic gaps, are deliberate.

Maslow knew this. Academic achievement is found at the TOP of the hierarchy. How many of those things below that fall PRIMARILY into the scope of public schools?

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. A bad home environment could mean a kid who doesn't even come to school

Please explain how the school is supposed to educate kids who don't even come to school.

[NNN0LHI]

6. I agree many parents do not understand the basics of economics

Lot of them run out and purchase imported products when American made products are available.

And then they wonder where are all the jobs for my kids?

Crazy.

Don

[hfojvt]

7. you may want to question the whole 'declining education' meme

because it does not happen to be true. It is, however, something easily believed by people who are pining for the good ol' days.

http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh100610.shtml

"If it weren’t for the mis-information, we wouldn’t have any information at all! In the past several decades, this has been the familiar shape of American discourse as plutocrats, and their overpaid servants, have taken control of the culture. Do we want to have a real “great debate” about the state of the nation’s schools? If so, we would offer eight or nine prescriptions.

This morning, let’s scan the first three:

Stop with the magic bullets: By all accounts, Guggenheim’s film is all about the failures of America’s teachers and their infernal teachers unions. Without any doubt, our schools could be better if we had “better teachers.” (Though it isn’t clear how to identify same.) Presumably, teachers unions have sometimes made poor choices. But only a fool could really think that America’s massive educational challenges stem from this one magic source. Only a fool could think such a thing—but the press corps is crawling with such people, as is Guggenheim’s Hollywood.

When it comes to low-income schools, pseudo-liberals and media stooges have chased magic bullets since the 1960s. Frauds like Guggenheim always have some simple solution to sell. To appearances, they never have the slightest idea what they’re talking about.

Stop lying about our test scores: If we claim to care about public schools, could we possibly start to tell the truth about our most basic data? Hacks like those we’ve cited above are happy to tell the latest tale—a tale of misery and decline from the golden age of the 1970s (or before). In fact, all major student demographic groups are reading better, and doing math better, than they were in that earlier period. In particular, test scores of black kids and Hispanic kids have shown remarkable gains."

[seabeyond]

16. that is what i see with kids education. why this whole destruction of my kids system is

pissin me off

[Count Olaf]

8. and BAD ADMINISTRATORS! Why don't they ever go after them?

Do teachers make the decisions at schools? Do they decide where funds are spent?

Principals make +100,000 , their secretaries do all the paperwork....they could at least spend their time getting to know students, stopping bullying etc. If you want someone to take responsibility in the school- go to the top! The teachers I have known are far to busy, but usually the principal is standing around and they are in charge so why is everyone blaming teachers?

But as far as parents go, how are you going to hold them accountable? They need stricter rules for students. When a student breaks all the rules, what do they get? Suspension- an extra week vacation! What is the incentive for doing better? When kids get horrible grades...forced after school tutoring, Saturday school etc. are the way to make it painful and encourage the students to at least try harder so they won't get stuck in school even longer.

[JNelson6563]

10. Amen!

Why do shitty administrators get a pass?? In our locla school district we had such an asshole for a superintendent, it was amazing how he managed to screw things up so much worse in just a few years.

Julie

[Count Olaf]

15. Parents need to start sticking up for the teachers, and pointing the finger at the administrators

The teachers cannot do it or they will get fired or punished in some other manner.


The people who care about schools and teaching....become teachers. The people who want to sit on ass and game the system...become administrators who have all the power over the teachers, make all the financial decisions and deserve all of the responsibility for how screwed up the schools are. There is plenty of money in the schools and it is all going to their absurd salaries.

[Telly Savalas]

25. Well, whenever someone here proposes circumventing an entrenched incompetent school administration

they get crucified here for wanting to "privatize" education.

[Count Olaf]

9. Since the TV is educating the youth more than most parents

Perhaps someone should hold the media accountable for the degradation of our society.

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Actually, there is a lot of terrific educational programming on the TV. You just gotta get the

parents to get their kids to watch it. Trouble is, a lot of parents I know don't have time to do that because they are working.

Perhaps if we could fix that part of the system and stop overworking parents (and non-parents too, for that matter) there'd be more time for them to spend with the kids, which would improve student work? (Maybe that wouldn't be the case in all situations, but in some anyways.)

[Count Olaf]

14. oh I agree- but the majority of programming is crap

and if parents aren't paying attention the kids are getting a steady stream of bad morals and values.


My kids are watching 'Planet Earth' right now from the BBC -awesome show! With our advances in technology, educational programs like this, children should be smarter than ever. Computer educational games can have kids reading and doing math at very early ages with plenty of time for goofing off and being a kid. For some reason when we should be moving forward, there is no excuse for us not moving forward!... we are instead going backwards. I think it is by design.

Even if the school have few resources, even in a class of 35...the slow readers can be sent to the computers to do Elmo reading while the rest of the class moves ahead. OR the advanced kids get to go to the computers to do even more educational stuff, while the slower kids get the special attention they need. My husband worked it several schools and ALL of the technology money went to microsoft or tech gadgets, none to educational software. The kids only used the computers to type stuff. And who makes these decisions, the higher ups. The teachers, given the choice, would probably love a library of educational software to help their classrooms move forward faster and learn more than ever possible before in textbooks and the like.

[HuckleB]

18. There's also this factor...

Background TV Found To Have Negative Effect On Parent-Child Interactions
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915100951.htm

[HuckleB]

19. Parent-Child interaction time has been growing for the last 15 years, though.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/surprisingly-family-time-has-grown/?sudsredirect=true

I still think TV needs to be limited. Free play and free time seem to be a missing ingredient in the development of many kids today.

DAILY MEDIA USE AMONG CHILDREN AND TEENS UP DRAMATICALLY FROM FIVE YEARS AGO
http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia012010nr.cfm

[drlindaphd]

11. No Child Left Behind

Let's not forget about this travesty of a curriculum. This forces teachers to teach students to pass a test when they should be teaching students how to think.

I am not a teacher, but I am surrounded by my family of teachers. I have lots of education myself. The most important thing I ever learned was how to think.

Teachers cannot do their job without parental support. I agree with those who point this out. My family members who are teachers say this all the time. They are good teachers who are not trying to pass the buck on their responsibilities. They work hard, long hours. But without parental and administrative support the kids will not learn.

The kids also have to take some responsibility for their own education, especially in the higher grades.

We all, in this country play a part in this mess. Many people, including our politicians and leaders, do not value education and learning. We denigrate those who are highly educated, call them elites. Many belittle and denigrate science, preferring creationism to evolution, deny global warming and other scientific findings. Our language is being dumbed down on a daily basis. Our youth no longer values grammar or spelling. They use short cut spelling such as "u" for "you". College professors are struggling with this issue all the time as they attempt to get their students to create assignments in standard English.

This is a huge problem. I do not think we can continue to compete with people in other countries if we continue to dumb down our populace. We need an educated populace. We, as a nation, need to value education and we, as a nation, have never been very good at that.

[Klukie]

17. We do need to value education.....but...

we also need to recognize that not everyone can be a rocket scientist. We will have and always continue to have a part of the population that will contribute to society in non academic ways. The question is ...will we have the jobs to support them?

[drlindaphd]

22. I agree with you...

That is the other side of the problem. It is so strange, No Child Left Behind also assumes that all people will do well enough in these tests to be able to attend college. It is a one size fits all standard. There is no accommodation for the individual in ability or interest.

When I was a public school student, back in the dark ages, there were different tracks for different people, i.e. academic, business, trade prep. Students were placed in these tracks based on their ability and interests. Different students had different goals and were given educations that prepared them for the life they wanted to lead. They could change their minds later on. Nothing was carved in stone, but it was recognized that one size did not fit all.

[Kingofalldems]

20. K and R

Parents need to instill a thirst for learning in their children. Many use schools as babysitters.

[Klukie]

21. so true

I have witnessed teachers have to teach so many basics to kids it is unbelievable. Many parents have either quit parenting, don't know how to parent, or are overwhelmed as parents. This needs to change!!!